Wrath of Divine Knowledge
by Stirling Phoenix
Summary: Frobin. AU. In a world where a malicious apparition is her only companion, Nico Robin finds herself desperate for salvation. One day her prayers are answered by a man with a sunny disposition and eccentric blue hair. For the share-the-love-month project on tumblr.


This is a submission for the Share-the-Love-Month project on tumblr which is hosted by the lovely myladyday and aerle! You both are phenomenal, thank you for hosting such a lovely event!

Disclaimer: I do not own the work of brilliance that is One Piece. All credit goes to the creator, Eiichiro Oda.

Wrath of Divine Knowledge

Pairing: Frobin

Rating: M

* * *

Thunder rumbled furiously, preventing even the heaviest of sleepers from obtaining a decent night's slumber. The accompanying wind howled incessantly, mercilessly whipping against every tree and overgrown bush in its path. The intensity of the surrounding air currents caused an incredibly rapid electron shift between the forest floor and the thunderclouds, and soon the ominous, negatively charged mass of water vapor was hovering anxiously above the defenseless, oppositely charged ground.

At long last, the thunder's eternal partner decided to make its presence known. Holding firm to the laws of electricity, the lightning began to strike indiscriminately at the positively charged wooded terrain. The lightning moved quickly, instantly striking down an old, lifeless birch tree, as if the decaying husk of the plant had somehow wronged the enraged electrical bolt in a past life. The tree's dried, decaying wood caught flame instantly, and it spread just as rapidly. The dried debris that had accumulated on the ground throughout the years served as the perfect fodder for the hungry fire that wanted nothing less than to engulf everything in its path in brightly colored flames.

The fire raged across the forest at an alarming rate. The smoldering blaze effortlessly climbed up every tree that had inhabited the land for hundreds of years, immediately burning the ancient plant life and reducing it to nothing but ash. In some areas the fire appeared to concentrate at the bases of the large plants and would eat away at the trees' very foundation, inevitably causing them to collapse and successfully trapping any wildlife that otherwise might have stood a chance of escaping the hellish inferno.

The wildfire was merciless and chaotic in its destruction; with every tree it claimed, with every innocent being it took, the ghastly embers grew stronger and more uncontrollable. It would not be long before the fire had devoured the entire forest, and only a few precious moments remained until the woodland area would not be enough to satisfy the flames' insatiable appetite. The young fire would soon require more.

The once vast and lush forest existed at the outskirts of a nearby village. The villagers were poor and malnourished. The soil was dry and sandy, and it yielded very little food for the people who dared to cultivate something from what little moisture and nutrition it possessed. The townspeople had no means by which to acquire medical attention, and the small community afforded its members very little modern convenience. Despite everything the impoverished village lacked, it was still home to hundreds of people who saw good fortune in having a warm, dry place to sleep at night.

Tonight, that last bit of comfort would be ruthlessly stolen from them, cruelly ripped away without a single shred of remorse.

And it was all because of her.

Nico Robin reluctantly watched the scene unfold before her eyes from the edge of a large cliff less than a kilometer away from the town that would soon no longer exist.

She should have known that this would happen; she should have known that this lead was another dead end. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how sound her prior research on the given location was, her search always turned up fruitless. As a result, even more people would pay for her failures.

_I warned you this would happen, didn't I?_

A sinister, yet oddly whimsical voice echoed throughout the air, mocking her latest defeat.

"You warned me that the people of this village would suffer greatly if I didn't find a way to break the curse," Robin answered in a cold, emotionless voice.

The intangible being that had joined Robin on the cliff only laughed in response.

_And despite my generous words of caution, you are still disappointed, as if you expected anything less from me. _

"Of course not," Robin replied in the same impassive tone.

_Well then?_

Robin did not reply. Even if she knew what kind of answer the vindictive spirit that had held her life in the palm of its ethereal hands wanted, she would not have given chase. Remaining silent was all she could do to hold herself together, to not let the hateful apparition see her inner turmoil.

The dark specter seemed to quickly grow bored with the lack of a response.

_Every wish comes with great sacrifice. This is the price you must pay for your innermost desires. Remember that._

Having said its piece, the malevolent presence left Robin to wallow in her own self-misery.

Only then did she let the tears fall freely.

* * *

One Month Ago.

Robin was beyond grateful to be alone. The man she had just given herself to an hour before in exchange for the proper compensation had immediately left her hotel room after her end of the deal had been fulfilled.

If Robin was not already thoroughly disgusted herself, the sight of seeing her body littered with the lingering vestiges of the lewd and vulgar actions she had let her one-time partner do to her person made the her stomach churn.

Robin's neck and chest were covered in numerous dark blemishes that would take days to fade away, bloody scratch marks ran down the entire length of her back, her hips sported violet-colored finger prints from the harsh grasp her buyer's calloused hands held her in, and faint traces of the male orgasm still clung to the flesh of her inner thighs.

One look in the mirror had sent Robin sprinting for the shower. She fervently allowed scalding hot water to flow freely down her marred skin, hoping that the water would somehow be able to sterilize every filthy cell in her body. The sizzling water threatened to burn her already damaged flesh, turning the pale skin a bright scarlet color.

When the near-boiling water was not enough to satisfy her need for total and complete decontamination, she began to vigorously scrub every inch of her body down with an antibacterial cleanser. Robin was not satisfied until her skin was entirely raw and she could no longer endure the pain from the shower and soap.

After carefully drying her tender flesh, Robin quickly donned a pair of silk pajamas that she had packed in her travelling case. The soft fabric felt cool to the touch and refreshing on her skin.

Robin settled herself in the comfy hotel lounge chair, she was determined to obtain a few hours of rest when she accidentally glanced at the large pile of money she had earned earlier in the evening through less than wholesome means. The recollection of her previous actions caused her to shudder involuntarily.

Robin abhorred the fact that she had to resort to such humiliating methods for easy money. She positively detested the fact that she had use the dirty money to fund her travels to various places that she would have no interest in visiting if it were not for the wretched curse placed upon her. She despised not being able to hold down a steady university job that she could earn grant money from.

In essence, Robin hated not having a successful career that she could be proud of, she felt completely unworthy of her doctorate title, like all the years of endless studying and giving every assignment her best meant absolutely nothing.

But then again, it was her own fault that she could not keep a permanent job. Robin was constantly moving from one place to the other, never staying in one location for more than a month's time, and she had no one to blame for that but herself. She was the one who naively invoked the passionate anger of an evil apparition.

Robin sighed, resigning herself to another restless night as she curled up on herself, clutching her knees to her chest, wishing desperately for one tiny shred of hope in her bleak and tragic life.

* * *

The Present.

Every once in a while Robin was lucky enough to stumble across legitimate work that did not require her to say in one region for more than a few weeks. As fate would have it, a highly-acclaimed university that was located in the same city that held her next lead for uncovering the secret behind her curse had contacted her, asking for her participation in the annual lecture series that was hosted by the college's esteemed and well-respected history department.

Robin did not recall the monetary sum the department had offered her; she truly could not have cared less. It was a job, a real job that did not require her to satisfy anyone's carnal urges, a job where she could fulfill her needs to immerse herself in pure knowledge and academia.

For what felt like the first time in years, Robin had the immense pleasure of experiencing joyous emotion. She reveled in the feeling, allowing herself to pretend for a moment that she was not on the run from some malevolent spirit, that she was everything she had once aspired to be in this world and more.

Upon arriving on campus, Robin immediately found the admissions office and acquired a map of the large university. After checking the hour, Robin concluded that she had more than enough time to utilize the map and explore the grounds after finding the correct destination.

With a cheerful disposition and a fresh outlook on life, Robin set out to finding the correct lecture hall.

She soon discovered the difficult way that her task was more easily said than done. The amount of construction work that was taking pace on the campus was horrendous, and Robin found that finding each and every check point was a rather arduous task.

Despite the landscape differences, she had been diligently following the map, taking each and every turn when she came upon the correct street; however her efforts were continually in vain. On more than one occasion Robin questioned whether or not she was holding the map in the correct position, and with each time she passed the same ostentatious statue of the man who founded the college, Robin became more and more exasperated.

"You look like you're lost."

Feigning her surprise due to the sudden sound, Robin calmly turned around and realized that there was a man standing not three meters away from her. She could tell from his attire of a bright yellow helmet, a red flannel button-up shirt, light blue jeans, and black steel-toed work boots, that he was a construction worker. By far his most notable feature was his odd hair color, a brilliant shade of light blue that was mostly hidden under his helmet.

The man wore a questioning look on his face as he looked in her direction, making it obvious to Robin that he was talking to her.

"I'm afraid I am." Robin answered, smiling kindly at the construction worker. "I've been following this map since my arrival, but I don't seem to be getting anywhere."

She walked over and handed him the map. "Could I trouble you for some assistance?"

The blue-haired man took one look at the map and sighed heavily. "This map is outdated, it's no wonder you're having trouble."

"Outdated?" Robin questioned with a hint of skepticism in her voice. "I just got this from the admissions office."

"I don't doubt that," he said before folding the useless chart back to its original condition, "but I'm sure you've noticed that we've been doing a lot of rebuilding around here."

"That would certainly explain why I can't seem to find my way," Robin agreed, slightly embarrassed that she had not thought to consider the possibility of having an erroneous map herself.

As if the construction worker could sense Robin's chagrin, he casually replied, "Don't worry about it, happens all the time around here."

Robin simply nodded in response. Not wanting to bother the man any further, she took the campus map from him and tucked the folded paper into her purse.

"Thank you, I'll be on my way," Robin promptly turned away and began again with her search, intent on finding her destination even without a visual aid to guide her along the way.

"Wait," the man tried again. "I might be able to help, where are you headed?"

Robin was not used to the generosity of strangers, especially the kindness of strange men, but as she looked back, she carefully noted the sincerity in the blue-haired man's offer.

"The Ilusia Auditorium, if you could just point me in the right direction I'm sure I could find it."

"Oh, that's an easy one!" He smiled, however his expression faded just as quickly as it came. "But that building's way across campus, and unfortunately there's no straight shot."

The construction worker removed his helmet and combed his fingers through his light blue hair, as if playing with the unconventionally styled mane would help him think of a solution. "When do you have to be there?"

"My lecture doesn't start for another hour. I seem to have wasted quite a bit searching for the auditorium myself," Robin quietly admitted.

"At least we've got that going for us." The bright and earnest smile returned to the man's face. "If you want I can give you a lift. My truck's just down the street, and the theater's about a twenty minute drive from here, so you can imagine how suuuper long of a walk that would be."

Robin was slightly taken back by his suggestion. The man had come off as forward, but whether or not he was truly an over-friendly person was unknown to her. "Thank you, but I'd rather not disturb you from your work."

"'S no trouble at all, really," the construction worker tried again. "I have to head in that direction anyway, there's another site nearby."

Robin examined the man's facial features, attempting to decipher the man's true nature from appearance alone. The construction worker before her seemed like one of the most honest and sincere people Robin had met in a very long time, however the assumption meant absolutely nothing to her.

When it came to trusting her intuitions, the one aspect she positively refused to trust herself with was her judgments of people's characters. She had been burned one too many times by people she had foolishly put her faith into in the past, and she had resolved long ago to never let anyone else hurt her again. She received more enough self-loathing as a result of her own faults, let alone the misdoings of someone else.

Despite her long-standing decision to maintain a firm distance away from others, there was something about this man that Robin could not ignore. His smile was just too compassionate, to gentle.

The tender expression itself was contagious, and Robin found herself returning the gesture with an amiable grin of her own.

The blue-haired man's eyes seemed to light up at the look on Robin's face, and suddenly every ounce of apprehension she held over the situation was gone.

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Robin conceded.

The radiant smile on the man's face seemed to grow wider by Robin's response.

"Yosh, I'll getcha there with enough time to scope out the entire building, secret rooms included." The construction worker joked before he turned away and walked towards his truck.

"Looks like I found the right man for the job then," Robin said casually as she followed suit and walked towards the passenger's side of the truck.

By the time Robin had made her way to the vehicle, her new acquaintance was already inside, hastily throwing various types of clothing into the back seat of the cab. The truck's interior was the exact opposite of its exterior counterpart. While the outside was caked with dirt and other substances that Robin could not identify, with the exception with the man's work clothes that now littered the back seat, the cab itself was amazingly clean. The black leather upholstery was spotless and Robin did not see a single speck of dust on the dashboard.

Now that she knew she would make it to her appointment with plenty of time to spare, Robin was in no hurry and she patiently waited for the generous man to clear a spot for her in his vehicle. When the last article of clothing had been removed, Robin took ahold of the door handle and just as she was about to open it, the man inside leaned across the seat and opened it from the inside.

"Sorry about that, something's been wrong with it the past couple of days and that door won't open from the outside. I'm hoping to get some time to fix her up this weekend." He explained as Robin stepped up and took her seat inside the cab.

"That's quite alright," Robin replied as she closed the truck door behind her. "I'm sure the job keeps you busy."

"Got that right," the man chuckled as he turned the key in the ignition and started the engine. A classic rock tune that Robin vaguely recognized started to play over the radio. She was unable to recall the name, but the melody reminded her of the more peaceful times in her life, a time before she had been forced into a nomadic lifestyle.

The man put the transmission into drive and turned the volume of the stereo system down, although the song was still loud enough to be heard.

"The name's Franky, by the way," the man said as he turned right at the first stoplight they came across.

"Nico Robin," Robin responded, smiling in Franky's direction. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Franky."

"Likewise," Franky agreed, keeping his eyes glued to the road as he drove. His facial expressions were more than enough to show that he appreciated Robin's sentiment.

"Say, if you're giving a lecture today, that must mean you're a big-time prof, right, Dr. Nico?"

Robin could help but laugh at the proper title. Even if she had the right to claim its status, she had never felt deserving of the label.

"There is no need to be so formal, just Robin is fine."

"Nico Robin." Franky said her name in the same easygoing tone that he had being using all along. There was no trace of disdain or suspicion in his voice, and somehow Robin found that refreshing.

"How long are you gonna be in town?"

"Well, the lecture I will be giving today is the first in a series, and this will last for the rest of the week. After that I am taking a couple of weeks off just to do some sightseeing."

"Yeah? Well you definitely won't run out of things to do in this town. Got anything specific in mind?"

"I would really like to visit the many illustrious museums this city has for quite some time. I've heard quite a bit about how involved several of the historical exhibits are, and I'd like to see them with my own eyes. If I'm not mistaken, this city has its own share of past experiences as well. You could say that I'm here to expand my horizons a bit."

_And to find my next lead. _Robin thought to herself.

"You sound like a true scholar, always eager to learn more, never content with the answers you're given," Franky chuckled.

"Something like that, yes," Robin concurred.

"Mind if I make a suggestion then?"

Once again Robin turned to look at Franky, truly curious about what he had to say. "Please."

"Learning from books and museums is great. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothin' against sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher explain the history and progressive changes of architectural designs and techniques. Information like that and history in general is really useful because it teaches us what works and what doesn't, and we can use that knowledge to learn and improve ourselves. But for other things, like drawing up the blueprints for a new building or actually starting the construction process for example, are things best learned in practice than in theory."

Robin tilted her head to the side, interest genuinely piqued. She was fairly confident that she knew where Franky was going, but she wanted to hear his conclusion nonetheless.

"What's your point, Mr. Architect?" Robin could not help but tease Franky a bit.

"My point is that if you really want to learn something about this town and the rich culture it possesses, then instead of spending all of your time in museums, venture out a bit. See what life is like for the people who live here, explore the different socio-economic classes, and get to know some of the locals. Ask them about the town's history. Some of the old geezers have some suuuper interesting stories about the roaring 20s."

Franky laughed sheepishly and he rubbed the back of neck, indicating his bashfulness. "That's what I think, at least. My logic is pretty simple."

"On the contrary," Robin reasoned. "Field research is imperative to academic study."

Franky only seemed to become more flustered by Robin's approval. Sensing his embarrassment, Robin quickly changed the subject.

"I take it you've been here for a while."

The feeling of unease that had ahold of Franky quickly vanished and was almost simultaneously replaced with a look of hometown pride.

"Born and raised."

The truck gradually slowed down and made another turn. After the rounding the curve onto the adjacent street, Robin noticed that they were quickly approaching an enormous sepia-colored building with the inscription of 'Ilusia Auditorium' engraved in stone across the vast entryway of the theater. She knew very well that her time with Franky was about to end, but for once Robin was not prepared to break off her new acquaintanceship so easily. She could not explain why she felt this bizarre attachment towards a man she hardly even knew. Her voice seemed to act on its own accord, for she suddenly found herself speaking without giving any forethought to the matter.

"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind showing me around sometime?"

"Me?" Franky pulled up to the curb by the auditorium and gave Robin a puzzled look on his face and a hint of disbelief in his voice. "I'm just a simple engineer. There are plenty of people who do that sort of thing for a living who'd do a better job than I could."

"Oh I doubt that," Robin said reassuringly. "Speaking from experience, professional tour guides tend to leave out the most important parts."

"What you mean?"

"They tend to neglect to mention the more," Robin paused for a second, deciding on the correct word to use, "unsavory details of a city's history." Robin hoped her explanation would be more than sufficient.

Franky nodded slowly, comprehending the meaning behind Robin's words. He smirked. "So you think that you'll get the whole scoop from me. Is that it?"

"More or less," Robin replied with a cunning smirk of her own.

"Well, I've got nothing to hide," Franky laughed, clearly interested in the prospect. "When do you wanna start?"

"Why not right away?" Robin asked. "The lecture series is open to the public, so you're welcome to sit in on my lecture. Do you have any interest in archaic religions and symbolisms?"

"Ah, that sounds suuuper and I'd like to, I really would, but I've gotta pass," Franky sighed, obviously disappointed that he could not attend Robin's speech. "I have to move on to my next worksite." "Maybe you can call me after you're finished? I'll take you out to dinner and you can get a taste of the city's 'night life'," Franky smiled. "We'll get a suuuper-good jump start on your 'field research'."

Franky reached into the breast pocket of his work shirt and pulled out a small card. He handed it to Robin with an earnest smile plastered on his face.

Robin had to laugh at Franky's clever use of the term. "I'd like that. I'll see you soon, Mr. Architect."

"Good luck," Franky waved to her as she got out of the truck and headed inside the theater.

* * *

"Well, how'd it go?" Franky inquired the very moment Robin entered his vehicle.

"My lecture was very successful. It spawned a lively discussion on human sacrifice in Aztec culture," Robin answered the question pleasantly, as if she were discussing the next day's itinerary, rather than a grotesque detail about a dead civilization's history.

When her seat belt was securely fastened, Franky pulled away from the edge of the sidewalk and effortlessly joined the steady flow of the city's early-evening traffic.

"I almost feel bad for missing out." Franky sounded as if he was disconcerted with the idea.

"I take it the topic is not your cup of tea, Mr. Architect?" Robin lightly teased.

"I don't think so, but then again, I really can't say for sure," Franky answered honestly. "I could come up with umpteen suuuper guesses about what your research might entail, but the truth is, I wouldn't know the facts until I actually took the time to learn them."

Robin pondered Franky's answer for a moment. "That's a very intriguing answer."

"How's that?"

"Oh," Robin shrugged nonchalantly as she looked out the window, observing the varied architectural styles of the buildings and homes they passed by, "I just find it interesting that you are not making any wild or ridiculous assumptions about my work, despite your immediate uneasiness concerning the topic."

"Never judge a book by its cover, Robin," Franky's voice held an air of resolute certainty, as if this were the one belief he was undoubtedly confident in. "Every book's got a story to tell, no matter how tattered up or worn out it is on the outside."

Robin was momentarily speechless. The idea that anyone was as wholly nonjudgmental as Franky appeared to be was beyond ludicrous. People as seemingly pure and remarkable as Franky simply did not exist, not in her world.

Robin did not want to dwell on the matter. Her mind was screaming at her, telling her that this scenario was wrong, that something was amiss. For the second time that day, Robin abruptly changed the subject.

"Where are we going, Mr. Architect?"

Franky smiled fondly as he pulled the truck into a public parking garage. "Oh, just a little hole-in-the-wall pub that I like to unwind at after work." He parked his vehicle in the far, less populated corner of the garage and killed the ignition.

"We have to walk the rest of the way there. It's not very far from here, just a couple blocks north." Franky said with a timid smile on his face. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Robin returned the smile, assuring Franky that a short trek did not bother her in the least.

Once again, the grin on Franky's face grew and spread across the entire width of his face.

"Suuuper! Let's go then!" Franky immediately hopped out of the truck with Robin quickly following suit.

They walked together in silence for a few moments before Franky spoke up again.

"Some good friends of mine own the joint. In fact, you could almost say it's like a second home to me." The look on Franky's face was serene, giving Robin the impression that the man had a lot of good memories in the establishment.

"Is there a particular dish this eatery is known for?" Robin asked curiously.

"The deep-dish pizza is—"

Franky's commentary fell on deaf ears. An all-too-familiar feeling of absolute dread engulfed Robin's entire being, and the resulting trepidation caused her body to be momentarily paralyzed with fear.

At that very moment the light breeze that had been gently fluttering about the city turned unbelievably violent. The blusterous wind wasted no time in whipping its way through the unsuspecting streets, freely tearing any object that was not a permanent fixture away from the ground.

The absurdly strong air currents nearly toppled Robin over. Fortunately, she was agile enough to catch herself, and as soon as she had control of herself again, she ran.

The vicious winds seemed to collaborate against her and pushed her back, trying to keep her from finding the source of the sudden weather change. Robin instantly knew the apparition that had been controlling her life for so long was there, watching her.

"Stop it," Robin screamed, knowing that the enraged spirit would hear her, despite her voice being lost to the harsh winds.

"Stop it, you can't!" She so frightened, so worried that the malicious intangible being would see fit to unleash the unbridled fury on this poor unsuspecting, largely populated city, that she was incapable of verbalizing much more than desperate pleas asking to cease this horror.

Robin's heart was beating madly, she felt like the organ could explode from her chest at any moment. Her sudden bout of tachycardia paled in comparison to the feeling of sweet, life-sustaining oxygen being violently sucked out of her lungs. Robin's entire world was spinning out of control, it was a true miracle that she had managed to keep her balance as she continued to run, hopelessly trying to find specter she did not know the true form of.

Robin could hear maniacal laughter resonated throughout the air, cackling loudly at the utter spectacle she was making.

_You can run, but you cannot hide. As per my everlasting mark, you will bring about death and destruction wherever you go. If you don't hurry, civilization as you know it will crumble at your feet._

Robin's entire being came to a sudden halt.

"A warning? You're warning me?!" Robin shouted out to the wicked spirit.

_This is some sort of sick joke to you, isn't it? _Robin silently wondered, however she already knew the answer.

The tremendous amount of stress finally began to take its toll on her body and Robin's reeling mind started to lose consciousness. Her body swayed back and forth, attempting to stay in a standing position, until it could not bear the intense pressure any longer.

Robin ultimately succumbed to the feeling of extreme fatigue, allowing the exhaustion to envelope her completely. As her mental alertness slipped away, her legs gave out along with it.

A pair of strong arms reached out to catch her just before she met the cold pavement; however Robin was already too far gone to notice.

* * *

Author's Notes: Thank you all for reading! If y'all are interested, please keep a look out for chapter 2!


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